(July 6, 1999) - Nokia and Singapore's M1 today announced they have agreed on the supply of a complete mobile data package including Nokia's General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network solution, Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) platform, and partnership in developing wireless data applications. With this deal, the first GPRS network contract in South East Asia, M1 customers will be amongst the first mobile phone users in the world to enjoy high-speed wireless data technology. Deliveries will begin in October 1999, with commercial GPRS services expected to start in the year 2000. With Nokia's GPRS solution, M1 will provide true mobile Internet access to their subscribers - offering packet switched data through the enhanced GSM network. Nokia will deliver Internet Protocol (IP) core network infrastructure, including the Nokia Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), the Nokia Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) and the Nokia Charging Gateway. Also included under this contract is the supply of a GPRS testbed to M1, to assist in the development of IP planning and evolution.
This contract also sees the supply of Nokia's Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) platform, which allows for Internet services to be accessed through WAP enabled mobile phones. To implement this wireless data development, Nokia will continue to partner M1 by providing a team of service creation experts to support identification and development content applications.
"We expect the data part of our business to grow strongly over the next five years, possibly reaching a 50% share of our traffic by the year 2005. Having a high-speed data capability is absolutely key to this growth and the installation of GPRS is a critical first step," says Mr. Neil Montefiore, Chief Executive Officer, M1. "With GPRS, M1 customers will be able to access the Internet and corporate Intranet services speedily and securely, independent of time and place."
"The delivery of the first GPRS network in South East Asia emphasizes Nokia's position as a leading player in the supply of wireless data solutions," says Mr. Kari Ahola, Senior Vice President, South East Asia & Pacific, Nokia Telecommunications. "The Nokia GPRS solution is a key building block in the development of the Mobile Information Society based upon high-speed IP data technology."
GPRS will provide peak packet data rate of over 100 kbit/s in a mobile environment that is 10 times faster than currently available rate of 9.6 kbit/s. In addition GPRS offers the benefit of instant IP connectivity, eliminating annoying modem delays. It also enables the user to be always connected. With this advancement M1 can create new services based on multimedia messaging, wireless corporate Internet, as well as remote control and maintenance applications.
M1 is a telecommunications consortium comprising the Keppel Group, Singapore Press Holdings, Cable & Wireless and Hongkong Telecom. It operates two modern digital cellular networks, GSM 900 and CDMA 1900, as well as a paging system based on the latest technology, FLEX.
Nokia offers total GSM systems, with everything from digital mobile phones to transmission and switching as well as extensive services and network management solutions for building, efficiently operating and developing these networks. Having supplied GSM technology to 83 operators in 38 countries, Nokia ranks as the world's leading supplier of GSM 1800 networks and one of the two largest for GSM 900.
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